A Friend
by hflower
Summary: A different take on 4x06. What if the bandits had kept Merlin instead of handing him to Morgana, to use him as bait to lure the king? Will Arthur see his manservant again?


**Here's my first Merlin fanfic. Just another idea of what could have happened in 4x06. Some spoilers if you haven't seen the episode.**

**Also, it's up to your if it's Merthur or just Merlin and Arthur bromance.**

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><p>The King of Camelot lay down his injured servant, to stop the bandit coming towards them in the gulley. Merlin let out a quiet groan as he was put onto the forest floor. He had been about to ask Arthur to leave him again, when the bandit had come racing around the corner. The King easily took out the man, but Merlin could hear more on their way. Too many for Arthur to handle with an injured manservant to worry about.<p>

Arthur saw the bandits and prepared himself for a fight. His knights might be close by and able to help. If they weren't, this was going to be tough. And if Arthur was admitting that, then it was certainly true.

Softly Merlin whispered a few choice words, his eyes flashed gold and there was a rumble before rocks fell into the crevice, separating Arthur from the bandits. But also, separating Merlin from Arthur.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried out, as the rocks fell, stopping his back to his servant and friend.

It was one of the last things the young warlock remembered. The conversation he and Arthur had shared the night before, it meant that he could die content. Merlin had done what he could do to protect the young King. If he died now, making sure that once again Arthur was safe, then it was fine. Arthur appreciated Merlin, and had called him brave and loyal. That was enough for him.

There was a bandit standing over him, with a cruel on his face. Then, Merlin's wound took its toll and the world turned black.

The bandits had been told to bring any men they caught back to Lady Morgana, but one of them had had an idea. He had seen the reaction of the King when he had been cut off from his companion. He knew what that sort of reaction meant. They would use their prisoner, Merlin, as a lure to capture the King. Camelot would pay all their riches to recover precious King Arthur Pendragon. Then he and his friends would disappear over the Kingdom borders as wealthy men.

So that was the plan, and what they presented to Lady Morgana and Agravaine.

"We lost how many men? And you bring me how many men?" Lady Morgana demanded, in her cold and harsh tone. The bandits present shifted uncomfortably in front of the powerful woman, not meeting her gaze.

"Agravaine, I am to believe that I don't have a use for you." Morgana snapped before quickly turning around in disgust at the bandits.

Arthur's uncle faltered for a moment, before following after Morgana explaining to her other ways in which they could succeed in killing Arthur.

When the group of bandits were sure Morgana was gone, they relaxed and started chattering amongst themselves about the plan. The one who had formed the plan, Alland, raised his voice over the others getting all attention on him. "We will be rich my friends! Now let's return home to our woman and mead!"

A cheer rang out through the group, and they headed through the forest to the spot where they had hidden their hostage, with a guard watching to make sure he didn't escape. When the group came upon them, Merlin was unconscious still, but now he had a bleeding wound on the side of his head.

"What's this?" demanded Alland.

"Well, he woke up…. And I panicked." Said the guard quickly. "So I hit him on the head with the handle of my sword."

"Idiot! We want him alive, not dead! The King won't come chasing after someone who's dead!"

Alland paused for a moment, thinking. "That reminds me, we need to lure the King towards his bait."

Reaching down, Allan ripped some of the fabric from the bottom of Merlin's shirt and wiped it against the bleeding head wound. He could see some more blood seeping through the cloth on the man's shoulder. That would need to be taken care of. Like he's said before, a dead hostage was a useless hostage.

When the cloth in his hand was sufficiently covered in blood, he turned to one of the men and handed it to him.

"Take this, rip it into several pieces and place a trail to the camp so the King can find his was and his dear dear friend." With that, Alland kicked the unconscious Merlin, before motioning to the others to pick him up. "Let's move."

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><p>"Sire, there is no sign of Merlin." Sire Leon said, his voice sombre. "Except this." Leon placed the bloodied cloth on the table in front of his King. Arthur had sent his knights on patrol in search of his servant, no his friend. All that had shown up was a scrap of Merlin's jacket, covered in blood.<p>

"Where did you find it?"

"It was pinned to a tree sire, with an arrow."

"At first light, I was you to look again. Search the surrounding area where you found the cloth. He can't have just disappeared!"

"But sire we have already…"

"So you will look again."

Sir Leon nodded. Merlin was his friend as well, but with each hour that passed, the chances of finding the young man grew less and less. The Knights left, leaving Arthur alone with Agravaine.

"Sire, I know it must be hard to loose such a loyal servant as Merlin but…"

Arthur raised a hand to silence his Uncle. "He has been missing for near on a day and a half. With his wound, he won't last much longer. We have to find him."

"But sire, you have other things to consider at the moment, such as…"

"I will not stop until I find him Uncle. Merlin would do the same for me. And even if he is dead, Merlin deserves a proper burial, not just to be left in the woods to rot. Now leave me, I need some time on my own."

"Very well Sire." Agravaine said, dipping his head before leaving the King to sit on his thoughts of the missing Merlin.

His manservant, his friend was out there, missing, injured and who knew what else. Arthur just hoped that Merlin would have picked up some survival skills over the years. That's all Merlin needed to do, survive until he was found. It was at this point that Arthur realised just how much the young man meant to him. Merlin's absence in the room was painfully obvious. He would be giving him advice or speaking to him in a way that only Merlin would date to do.

Merlin was more than just a manservant. He was an advisor, he made sure that Arthur stayed on the right path and did right by his people. There was a bond there, a friendship that only came with years of knowing each other. It was similar to the bond his father had had with Gaius. A friend, a confidante and someone he could trust.

Arthur would find him, and bring him home. After all, his armour would need polish again soon.

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><p>Everything kept swimming in and out of focus. Merlin couldn't concentrate on much. He was aware of a throbbing pain in the side of his head and could feel dried blood on his face. Merlin guessed this was the cause of his confusion.<p>

Dimly, he was also aware that he was tied against something, and it meant that the warlock couldn't stand up. When Merlin had first become aware of the situation he was in, he had tried to release himself with magic.

The words had stumbled out of his mouth, and nothing had happened. The world started to spin, and Merlin blacked out once more.

When he next came to, it was still light. Whether a full day had passed, or it was still the same day was a mystery. Merlin felt a little more awake this time, though still terribly confused. He noticed the man standing nearby, watching him.

"Ah, so you're finally awake. Earlier you were mumbling some funny words. Though the crack in your head had turned you crazy."

Merlin struggled against his bonds, looking to the side to find out what he was tied to. A long pole was sticking out of the ground, and his hands were tied behind him to the pole. Blinking a couple of times, Merlin released he was still in the forest and there were some crude huts and structures a ways off to his left. He guessed that was the bandits' camp.

The pole was out in the open. So there was no cover. He was far enough away from the camp so that he couldn't cause any damage, but close enough that he could be easily seen.

"….and with your capture, Arthur will play right into our hands."

Merlin focused instantly when you heard that. The man had obviously been talking while he had been getting his bearings.

"You will do not such thing!" He growled out, struggling more viciously against his bonds. The movement jolted his shoulder, and his head started to throb again. Merlin winced and stopped struggling.

"Yes, I would be carefully if I was you. We have… limited resources and skills when it comes to healing you. We've patched up your shoulder and head as best as we could. But we can't make any promises about your… wellbeing." With a grin, Alland jabbed Merlin in his wounded shoulder, causing the young warlock to cry out before going limp.

Alland grinned again. The plan was going right. A scout had seen the first bit of cloth being taken from the tree. Arthur would be here in a couple of days.

They were going to leave Merlin relatively unguarded and when they knew Arthur was on his way, hide in the trees and ambush the king when he got to his servant.

Yes, it was all going according to plan.

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><p>Arthur had been distracted all morning, and he hadn't slept well the night before. Upon waking he had discovered George, his 'new' manservant. Merlin had only been missing for just over two days and he had already been replaced. Arthur could look after himself for a couple of days, while they were waiting for Merlin to be found. When he knew the fate of his friend, then he would start to make arrangements.<p>

Getting another manservant was like admitting that Merlin was already dead.

Currently Arthur was sitting at the head of the long table, listening to the drawl of the nobles and the current issues facing the Kingdom. He couldn't concentrate and kept looking to the window, deep in thought. Arthur kept expecting to look up and see Merlin standing in the corner of the room, grinning at him. But he wasn't there.

Arthur had sent off some of his fastest riders at first light, to scout the forest for any more signs that Merlin was alive. A piece of cloth didn't get pinned to a tree on it's own. Arthur reckoned that someone had found Merlin and was holding him against his will. Otherwise he would be have been found. Merlin wasn't that good at hiding.

"Sire!" The King was jolted out of his thoughts by his knights entering the room.

"Any news? He demanded with all the authority of one in his position.

"Merlin has been found sire!"

"Well, where is he then?"

"It is difficult sire. A scout found another piece of bloodstained cloth, and then another. It was a trail leading to Merlin. He's being held by the same bandits who attacked us earlier."

"And his condition?"

"It didn't look good sire. The scout reported a head wound."

Arthur tensed. With Merlin's shoulder already injured, another wound was not good news. Standing up, Arthur moved to dismiss the nobles.

"We ride in an hour. Merlin won't last another day."

"Aye sire, but we believe it to be a trap, to lure you into the bandit camp. Perhaps you should stay here while we…"

"No. I'm coming with you. If it's King Arthur they want, it's King Arthur they'll get. I'll show them what happens when they hurt one of my people. Prepare the horses. An hour."

"Sire." And with that, Arthur was left on his own to calm himself and prepare for the fight to free his manservant.

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><p>Merlin had a better grip on reality, but he still couldn't use his magic. He had to be careful. If the bandits found out about his gift, Merlin might become more valuable than just a hostage. But no matter what he tried, nothing worked. Merlin didn't even know if he was saying the incantations correctly. But he still had to try.<p>

All he'd had over the past two days was a little water and no food. Merlin knew he would start fading fast and there was no sign of Arthur and any hope of rescue.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Merlin opened them again and could swear he could see Arthur running towards him. Hallucinations. That wasn't good. Merlin was trying to remember what Gaius had told him and head wounds and hallucinations when the imaginary Arthur was at his side, tilting his head away to get a better look at the wound.

This Arthur was very lifelike, solid and everything. The blond man started working on the ties on his wrists when Merlin realised Arthur was really here. He had to warn him!

"Arthur… trap… go now…" Merlin mumbled.

"Shut up Merlin, of course I know it's a trap." Several bandits appeared and surrounded the two of them. "Why do you think I brought the Knights with me?"

There was a yell and from the trees emerged the Knights. Merlin could see Leon, Percival and Gwaine among them. With them around, Merlin relaxed and surrendered to the aching in his shoulder and throbbing in his head.

"Hey! Merlin! Stay awake!" Arthur said shaking his friend gently. Something told him falling asleep with a head wound like that wouldn't be good.

He was just about to start working on Merlin's bonds again when out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw a flash. Instantly his sword was in his hand and blocking a swing at his head.

The Knights were fighting well, several of the bandits lying motionless on the ground. But the fight wasn't over yet.

Arthur easily dispatched the man he had been fighting and turned his attention to another one coming his way.

Block, strike, swing, duck, block, strike, strike.

It was methodical, and came naturally to Arthur after a lifetime of training.

One by one the men fell, and Arthur was proud to see that not one of his Knights had fallen.

Through out the fight, Arthur had stayed close to Merlin's unconscious form. He wasn't going to let anyone else use his friend against him.

When the last man fell, Arthur moved back to Merlin's side. The bonds were cut easily from the man's wrists and he fell forward onto Arthur. Wrapping his arms around his friend, Arthur let out a shaky breath. They had Merlin back.

"I thought we'd lost you. I thought I'd lost you." He said quietly to his friend. Looking over his shoulder at the Knight who were cleaning the blood off their swords, Arthur stood still holding onto Merlin.

"We need to get back as quickly as possible. Merlin need's Gaius immediately. He will ride behind me."

After having gotten Merlin back, Arthur wasn't going to let him get away so easily again. If he could feel the weight of Merlin against his back, the King could reassure himself that Merlin was still alive and they had him safe.

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><p>They had ridden back as quickly as the horses had allowed them, Arthur with Merlin behind him on the horse.<p>

One of the Knights had ridden ahead to tell of their return and have Gaius ready to treat Merlin.

When they had reached the castle, Merlin had been quickly taken down from the horse and carried into Gaius' chambers where the old man had paled at how Merlin was.

Arthur knew the sensible thing was to leave Gaius to treat Merlin, but it still didn't make the waiting any easier. Standing outside the physician's room, Gwen hovering nearby, Arthur waited for news of his manservant.

After what felt like hours, Gaius emerged from his rooms.

"How is he Gaius? Will he live?" Arthur enquired before the man could say anything.

"Merlin will be fine sire." Arthur relaxed slightly. "The head wound is nasty, and there is swelling. There may be some brain damage, but we will not know that until Merlin awakes. His shoulder will heal well, though may be a little stiff for several months."

"But he will definitely live?"

"Yes Sire, Merlin will live."

"Can we see him?" It was Gwen who spoke up this time, stepping forward to enquire about their friend.

"I think we should let him rest for now. You can see him in the morning. Both of you need some rest. I don't want to be called because one of you collapses." With a stern nod, Gaius waited for one of them to challenge him.

"Very well, but you will notify me in the night if his condition changes." Arthur said, wanting to know if Merlin's condition got worse.

"Of course, sire."

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><p>Everything seemed to hurt, but at least Merlin appeared to be lying on something soft this time he woke. Perhaps he was hallucinating again. At least this time it would be a comfortable dream.<p>

Slowly opening his eyes, Merlin saw Gaius sitting next to him, watching him.

"Welcome back Merlin, you gave us quite a scare there."

"Gaius…"

"Relax, you're safe. Back in Camelot. Arthur rescued you. Don't worry, he's fine too." Gaius reassured the young man before he panicked.

Merlin relaxed back into the bed, nodding slightly.

"Do you feel up to some visitors?" Gaius asked him. When Merlin nodded in response, Gaius stood up and went to the door where Arthur and Gwen were waiting. "Only for a few minutes, Merlin needs rest."

The two of them entered the room, both worried at how pale Merlin looked but Gaius had told them it was due to the blood loss. Merlin would be looking his normal, healthy pale self in a couple of days.

Gwen took the seat that Gaius had been in before and took Merlin's hand.

"How're you feeling?" She asked, looking critically over Merlin's face.

"Fine. Well as fine as someone can be with their head smashed in." Merlin grinned, before looking over to where Arthur was standing on the other side of his bed.

"Thank you, for coming to get me Arthur."

"Don't think anything of it Merlin. Good servants are hard to come by." Arthur paused for a moment, a slight smile on his face. "Good friends even harder."

Gwen patted Merlin's hand gently, looking between the two of them. "I'll give you two some time alone. I'll come and see you later, okay Merlin?"

Nodding towards his friend, Merlin watched as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Arthur took the seat this time, a little unsure with what to do with his hands.

"I'm glad you're back Merlin."

"I'm glad to be back sire."

"Can't leave you anywhere can I? Otherwise you get yourself kidnapped by a group of bandits and I have to come and save you." There was the humour that the King used in these sort of situations.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about. Just don't do it again."

"Yes Arthur."

"Now, hurry up and get healed. Otherwise the polishing and laundry will start to build up."

"Of course, Arthur. And thank you, for everything." Merlin was talking about the conversation they had had in the woods when he had been hurt.

"You're welcome, and thank you. For everything as well."

"Anything for a friend."

"Yes, a friend."

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><p><strong>What did you guys think? Tell me in the reviews! 3<strong>


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